Runaways

Runaways are minors who voluntarily leave home for an extended length of time. Children who run away from home are at greater risk of becoming the victims of sexual and physical abuse, often develop drug problems and can even disappear, by being kidnapped or murdered. Finding a child who has run away can be challenging, but is usually far easier when hiring a private detective to assist with the assignment.

This important treatise details the reasons why children run away, how they can be found and how professional detectives can prove useful in locating missing children anywhere in the world.

Plight of Runaway Children

Children often leave home due to actual or perceived problems with family, friends, school or drugs. Wanting to escape a bad situation is a common solution for many troubled kids and running away may seem like a good idea. Minors can lack the maturity and better judgment to realize that running away will not solve any problem, but will certainly set the ideal circumstances for more serious issues to occur.

There are many opportunistic people in the world who look out for troubled kids and prey on them at will. Children who run away are ideal targets, since no one knows where they are. These kids are often dependent on people they meet on their journey, since they do not have a place to stay, food to eat or money to spend.

Locating Runaways

Private investigators are well trained experts in finding missing children, regardless of whether they have run away on their own or been abducted by a criminal. Detectives will use all their resources to find the child as soon as possible and are not hampered by waiting times and geographic boundaries which apply to police searches. A professional investigator will work tirelessly to find your lost child and bring them home safe and sound.

Field investigation is the most effective method of finding a run away child. Interviewing people who may have clues to their location is one way of finding the minor, while trying to establish communication with the child, through a variety of means, is often also useful. Most run away children leave obvious clues for investigators, making them some of the easiest missing people to find.

Tips on Finding Runaways

If your child runs away from home, it is crucial to locate them ASAP. The longer they remain alone in the world, the greater the chances that something bad may happen to them. Children who run away are often lured into cults, illicit drugs or put to work as thieves, smugglers or prostitutes. None of these fates are ideal, but may still be kinder than the children who run across pedophiles and serial killers while trying to escape from home.

If you are lucky enough to enjoy the safe return of your child, make sure to get them the help they need to address their problems and realize that running away is never a good solution.

Investigators who suspect that abuse may be responsible for children leaving home should be very careful about how they handle case assignments. Although getting a child back is every parent’s right, it would be unethical to return a youngster to a home that is filled with abuse or neglect. In these cases, the investigator should seek qualified legal counseling from an attorney or local law enforcement agency.